The tree houses of my youth were rickety, splintery things and
generally pretty terrifying. And yet, being enveloped by branches
and watching clouds drift by - unseen in a silent canopy - is a
sensory thrill I was desperate for my sons to experience.
Mercifully, tree houses have come a long way since then, allowing
an adventure for the young and crucial comforts for
adults.

Adventurous in WalesSuspended among
oak and larch trees on a remote, organic sheep farm at the edge of
Snowdonia National Park, Living Room's tree houses combine the
thrill of being immersed in nature with the promise of crisp white
bed linen and a hot shower.

Dotted along a steep hillside, each house is a striking
elliptical pod completely supported by the trees - stilts, it
seems, are for wimps. To get to Ty Mawr, where we slept, a
staircase of oak treads and woven branch rails snakes up a tree
trunk with a suspension bridge slung some 20 feet above the forest
floor. From the deck there are views over the Dovey Valley to the
foothills.

Laser-cut doors echo the silhouette of surrounding branches; on
the hillside there's a hot tub steaming; under the pod, an alfresco
shower is heated by the log-burner within. There are tree swings
and tree nets for cloud watching or stargazing. It is adventure -
refined.

Inside, the patina and grain of the woods - bone oak and western
red cedar - give texture and pattern. Porthole windows are
positioned to frame the view or channel a flood of moonlight across
the pillows. Baskets of cosy blankets and books are on hand for
reading by candlelight. It's simple, but highly curated.

The highest house, Gwdi Hw - Welsh for owl - teeters high up in
larch trees. Young families should choose Bryn Meurig Bach in a
pretty woodland clearing with plenty of flat ground for den
building and survival games, while families with older children bag
the superlative new Pen Y Bryn - electric lights, a ceramic butler
sink, a huge deck and elegantly rustic interiors. Yes, there is a
composting loo, but it's a small price to pay to be enveloped in
the uninterrupted majesty of the canopy.

Ways and meansTree houses cost £329
for two nights (three if arriving Sunday). Each of the five houses
has a double and two bunk beds. living-room.co

Three more high-rise spots

Chic in FranceFor forest dwelling
with savoir faire, the tree-house cabin at Le Clos Saint Saourde,
35 kilometres north-east of Avignon, is set in Muscat vineyards.
The vaulted ceilings and wood-panelled walls in an elegant
Provençal palette of cream and grey are accented by Asian
antiques.

The cabin costs from £317 per night and includes breakfast.
i-escape.com

Wild in KenyaPropped in an Elephant
Pepper tree overlooking the Mara River, The Nest will delight
naturalists. Within the Mara North Conservancy, Kenya, it's
equipped with state-of-the-art night-vision cameras to monitor game
silently moving through the African bush, while the simple
decoration and open walls give the impression of being outside.

Cazenove + Loyd offers four nights at Serian Camp, including
a night at The Nest, from £1,716 per person, based on two sharing,
on a full-board basis. cazloyd.com

The Bird's
Nest in Sweden is covered in woven branches, helping it blend into
its surroundings

Magical in SwedenDragonfly may be the
newest of Treehotel's seven Swedish tree houses but The Bird's Nest
is still the most thrilling. Reached by a retractable staircase and
trapdoor, the cylindrical room spans 17 square metres and sleeps
four (in a double and twin bunks). It's furnished simply, with
limed-wood walls punctured only by a string of porthole windows.
The entire room is invisible from the exterior, which is covered in
woven branches, thus appearing from all angles to be a huge nest
hovering among the pines.

The Bird's Nest costs from £1,246 for three nights,
including buffet breakfast. treehotel.se